# Chapter 797: The Fixed Quantity of Good Luck and Bad Luck
[Document Beautification: Different worlds, same ID photo. According to incomplete data statistics, seven out of every ten ID photos make their holders embarrassed to show them. In response to widespread user demand, Document Beautification has been launched in batches. No matter how ugly the face on an ID document is, it can be modified into the holder's ideal appearance.]
[But please modify in moderation. If the ID photo differs too much from the actual person, it may cause unnecessary self-identification disputes. As is well known, proving that you are yourself is quite difficult.]
[Note: This item is suitable for worlds with lower technological development.]
Xu Huo put on a fake face, used "Document Beautification" to take a photo, then printed it onto his identification. With one stamp and lift, the photo had already been replaced with the fake face.
When he walked out, the woman was still looking around nearby. Seeing him, she turned and ran away in fright.
Xu Huo went to the street, used the newly acquired item "Car Key" to casually open a car, stepped on the accelerator, and left the city.
There was still a considerable distance to the capital, but since there was no more convenient means of transportation, he could only follow the map and drive there himself.
On the road, there were many convoys migrating toward the capital area. Word was that a certain mid-level safe zone had been attacked, and the temporary truce between players wasn't over yet. So to keep living, the survivors had to flee overnight.
If even a safe zone could be attacked, other places weren't safe enough either, so heading to the capital was the only option.
"Why not go to a small place?" someone asked during idle chat. "Small places won't catch anyone's eye, so no one will cause trouble there. But those big safe zones will definitely be targeted first."
"You're stupid, aren't you? Even if a safe zone is targeted, rescue comes quickly. Unless the invaders are especially powerful, nothing serious happens. But in a small place, if a few players show up, you'll cry to heaven and heaven won't answer, call to earth and earth won't respond. Haven't you seen those small places? Every now and then, truckloads of corpses are hauled out... Sigh, ordinary people's lives aren't worth much."
"That's true, but ordinary people can't get into the capital's safe zone either."
"You don't know this, do you? There are people who specialize in selling new IDs. As long as you have money, you can get one."
This remark drew the surrounding crowd closer, all asking how to get one and whether the channel was reliable.
"Of course it's reliable. The people handling this are players. They have special channels and a good relationship with some player organization," the promoter said smugly. "Besides, the money for these IDs doesn't all go to the middleman. Some people need their cut too."
Because of the traffic jam, these people gathered together enthusiastically, scrambling to buy contact information.
"I think Zone 009 is finished." A girl with an eyebrow piercing wearing a jacket leaned on her car window next to Xu Huo's vehicle, grinning. Noticing his gaze, she turned back and winked at him. "Don't you think so?"
Xu Huo rolled up his car window.
The cars started moving again. After nightfall, many people chose to gather together and rest, so the road was relatively clear. He drove all the way to the next service station before stopping.
Even here, there were plenty of people. Fortunately, the restaurant was still open. Xu Huo ordered food and sat down to eat. Before long, the eyebrow-piercing woman who had spoken to him came in with her companions.
Her companions went to order food while the woman walked over and sat down in the seat next to him, resting her chin on her hands and staring straight at him.
As if completely unaware of being watched, Xu Huo ate his meal without concern, until the woman's companion returned and asked her, "What are you staring at him for?"
The woman giggled and asked Xu Huo, "Brother, have you ever played Fate Cards?"
"I drew a card when I went out this morning. The card told me I'd have good luck today. My intuition has always been accurate. When I saw you, I felt especially comfortable. This card reading is two-way—you bring me good luck, and I'll bring you good luck too. How about we travel together?"
Xu Huo had already finished dinner and was leaning back in his chair resting, clearly not intending to take her up on this.
The eyebrow-piercing woman instead took the initiative to sit across from him, placing a deck of gold-and-silver interwoven cards on the table.
The moment the cards spread across the table, Xu Huo opened his eyes and stared coldly at her.
The woman smiled and said, "I don't mean any harm. It's just that once the cards are on the table, you have to draw one before you can leave."
"My cards usually show a person's fortune for the next three days. Don't you want to try?"
Xu Huo crossed his arms and still didn't intend to act.
Item effects have time limits, and he still had plenty of time.
After a moment, the eyebrow-piercing woman spoke again: "I'm not lying to you. This item only ends when you draw a card. Otherwise, we'll just have to sit here until dawn."
"There's another way," Xu Huo said coldly. "Kill you."
The woman's companions immediately stood up, but she herself waved her hand dismissively. "I told you, I have good luck today. I definitely won't die here."
Xu Huo tapped his fingers on the table and suddenly said, "Do you know that luck is a fixed quantity?"
"Generally speaking, a person's good luck and bad luck balance out. A period of bad luck is followed by good luck, and so on, cycling repeatedly."
"For example, today you calculated that you'd have good luck. Finding money on the roadside counts as good luck. Relying on that luck to repeatedly dance on the edge of death and survive also counts as good luck. But the good luck used up by the latter takes up a larger proportion of your lifetime total. So next, you'll either be unlucky for a longer time, or you'll encounter major misfortune."
When he finished speaking, the eyebrow-piercing woman's expression was no longer as relaxed as before, and her companions also looked somewhat uneasy. Clearly, they all believed in this theory.
But at that moment, Xu Huo smiled and pointed to a card. "I was just joking."
The eyebrow-piercing woman couldn't just laugh it off. She flipped the card over, and the sword and knife depicted in the image made a clashing motion before starting to drip blood.
She showed surprise, repeatedly examining Xu Huo. "That can't be right. Why is your card opposite to mine..."
She muttered to herself, reshuffled the cards, and then drew one for herself. This time, it showed a person struggling for help after being stabbed in the abdomen.
Seeing the card, the woman's expression slowly relaxed.
"Did my luck throw yours off?" Xu Huo said with a smile.
The woman glanced at him. "Looks like my good luck isn't over yet."
"Let me introduce myself. My name is Chi Nan. These are my brothers—Old Zhou, Xiao Ma, and Da Bu. Da Bu is mixed-race. He's not good with languages and speaks a bit haltingly."
"Brother, what's your name?"
"I don't plan to travel with you." Xu Huo got up and left.
Chi Nan and her group didn't even bother with their food and followed him out. "It's so dangerous on the road. You might run into a suddenly spawned instance, and encountering robbers and killers is a big problem too. More people make things easier!"
"You're heading to the capital safe zone, right? We are too. Do you have an ID? I know someone—getting one won't be a problem!"
Xu Huo flashed to his car in an instant. Chi Nan stood by the roadside and shouted, "Brother, don't you need someone to keep watch at night?"